December 01, 2008

Week 15

You can almost feel the excitement beginning to build for the first postseason game, the EagleBank Bowl, but before we get to that Dec. 20 classic, there are 16 games left on the schedule, including those money grabs called conference championship games.

That's right, who needs to inflict more wear and tear on the "student-athletes" by extending the season with a playoff? Instead, the damage to gladiators can be minimized by having a league title game. It will bring in a few extra million and the kids will still have 10 days or so to cram for final exams in an attempt to maintain their eligibility for that all-important bowl game.

Okay, so you're not for conference championship games and you're not for having all these minor bowls. I'm just curious - what is your ideal college football landscape? Given your "cram for finals" reason on the championship games I would think you wouldn't want a playoff as that would pull these student-athletes out of the classroom more.

Not that you asked for them but let me present an idea for a future post. You could call it the "Wiz Manifesto". You could outline your ideal college football landscape. Something along the lines of "Given 119 teams I would have X number of conferences (or perhaps no conferences). Teams would play X number of conference games and X number of out of conference games. There would be X number of polls and they would play role X. The post season (bowl, tourney, or otherwise) would consist of..."

Something along those lines. You could break it up into multiple posts as I would imagine something like this could take a while. That way we all know where the Wiz stands instead of attempting to piece it together from other posts.

I'm pretty sure it's something your readers would be interested in. (If for no other reason than to give us all something else to argue about!)

As for the bowl system, it can still exist to serve teams that don't make the playoff, just like the NIT exists to serve teams that don't make the NCAA basketball tournament. There would likely be a thinning of the bowl herd, but there's already too many crappy bowl games as is.

As far as the 16 team playoff - how would you work this in? I'm assuming you'd shorten the regular season but by how much? You'd be talking about a months worth of games (4) for the 2 teams that made it through to the finals. These games would have to run through the month of December messing with the finals schedules (of the academic variety) you said the conference championship games take the student athletes away from.

Also, how would you determine which 16 teams made it in?

I'm not necessarily for or against your idea, I'm just curious as to how it would be implemented.

I guess I was just trying to clear up some contradictions. You dismissed the conference championship games because they take the kids out of school longer than necessary (even though the Big East, PAC 10, etc... are still playing regular season games through this week). Then you advocated a potential 16 game season (12 regular season games plus 4 playoff games) for the two teams lucky enough to make it through to the final.

You're right, it shouldn't be difficult to get a playoff in place. Given your view that the kids are out of school too much already though I think it becomes difficult. Especially given that this playoff would have to end, at the earliest, on New Year's Day.

Do you really think the kids are missing too much class or did you just feel like using that as an excuse to slam the conferences that have a championship game? Again, just trying to clear up some contradictions. Not that difficult, right?

It's all good man. I'm just a reader out here bustin' chops - trying to keep ya honest.

I actually prefer the system we have now (although the plus one model could be a nice change). I like the chaos and the fact that things aren't always fair (the exact reasons everyone else hates it). It gives us all something to argue about year round. I feel like it ultimately makes us more passionate about the teams and conferences we support.

I like the chaos, unfairness, and the debate that goes along with the BCS. Most don't though and I understand why they'd want a playoff.